The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copier, a printer, a facsimile machine, a multifunction peripheral thereof, and the like utilizing an electrophotographic method. In particular, the present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus including a transport guide member for guiding a recording medium and a detection mechanism for detecting presence or absence of the recording medium.
Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus using the electrophotographic process, it is common to use a process in which a developing device visualizes an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier such as a photoreceptor drum, the visualized image (toner image) is transferred onto a paper sheet (recording medium), and then a fixing process is performed.
The paper sheet is transported by rollers along a transport guide member and the like. The transport guide member is constituted, for example, of a plurality of plate-like guide ribs or the like disposed at a predetermined interval in a width direction of the paper sheet (perpendicular to a sheet transport direction).
In addition, a detection mechanism for detecting presence or absence of the recording medium is disposed in the sheet transport path. The detection mechanism includes, for example, an actuator portion extending in the width direction of the paper sheet so as to swing when abutting the paper sheet, and a sensor portion for detecting the swing of the actuator portion. The actuator portion includes a shaft portion extending in the width direction of the paper sheet, a detection portion swinging integrally with the shaft portion when abutting the paper sheet, and a swing portion disposed to shaft portion so as to swing about the shaft portion.
It is necessary to dispose the actuator portion at a position to abut the paper sheet and not to prevent the paper sheet from being transported. Therefore, a notch portion through which the shaft portion of the actuator portion penetrates is formed in the guide rib, and a most part of the actuator portion is disposed inside the transport guide member.